All the Arts, All the Time

Save Film at LACMA plans to hold gathering Saturday

The grassroots organization has been a thorn in the side of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art ever since the institution revealed in July that it was closing down its weekend film series.

Though donations have extended the life of the program through June 2010, there remains considerable uncertainty as to how the museum will go about raising the $5 million to $6 million the museum's press office said is needed to save the program.

Save Film at LACMA said it will hold a gathering on Saturday evening in conjunction with the museum's previously announced screening of a new print of Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "A City of Sadness" (1989). The group is designating the evening as "Save Film at LACMA Night."

Organizers told Culture Monster that they are using the screening as an opportunity for cinephiles to meet and show their support for the museum's film program.

The group said it has also asked Michael Govan, the museum's director, to attend the screening, but he has not confirmed if he will or not.

Earlier this month, Save Film at LACMA met with Govan to discuss the museum's plans for its film department. During the meeting, Govan said that he had met with Martin Scorsese, whose open letter in The Times criticizing the museum's decision received widespread public attention.

"A City of Sadness" will screen only once at LACMA, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

-- David Ng

Photo: A scene from Hou's "A City of Sadness." Credit: LACMA and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Los Angeles